There were many good questions raised on my last post. Thanks. One particularly relevant theme concerned the relationship of atrial fibrillation (AF) and coronary artery disease (CAD). There’s a great deal of misunderstanding out there on how these two common disease relate to each other. I thought a few paragraphs might be useful. On the […]
Category: General Cardiology
The wrist artery hardly had time to seal. (Surely it was a radial.) The controversy came that fast. The drumbeat of naysayers seemed to start only minutes after a prideful press release announced that George W Bush had undergone successful cardiac stent placement. The ever-quotable cardiologist from Cleveland Clinic, Dr. Steven Nissen, said, “This is […]
I’m writing this from home. The travel back was uneventful and I actually got a little caught up in the office Friday. It was a fun trip but getting back to doctoring felt good. Atrial Fibrillation ablation: The Gap-AF trial was released as the lead late-breaker at EuroPace 2013. There were many remarkable (‘they-really-did-that’ sort […]
Admit it: You were surprised a legitimate study came out in support of Coenzyme Q10 supplements. You probably looked away at first, nervous a colleague would notice your interest in something complimentary or alternative. It’s shocking, isn’t it? What if the purveyors of supplements are right about something? Part of me so wants it to […]
Here is an edited email I received from an athletic colleague: John, Quick question…. A 50 year-old male healthy athlete has the new problem of occasional periods of premature beats. He (or she, it doesn’t matter) has visited the doctor and an ECG shows PVCs, or premature ventricular contractions. Otherwise the history, exam, ECG, ECHO […]
It’s an appropriate day to talk about stress. If you treat heart rhythm problems, you can’t miss the effects of stress. It matters so much. Both acute and chronic–though mostly chronic–stress wreaks havoc on the heart’s electrical system. And it’s not just the heart rhythm; the chronic inflammation that goes with long-lasting stress negatively impacts […]
Sorry this took most of the week to get out. (There was a good reason.) Better late than never I suppose. On Day 3 of the 2013 American College of Cardiology meeting, I woke up well rested and inspired to squeeze in as much learning as possible. The first order of business was putting the […]
Those of you who run or ride know what the second day back after a break feels like. The first day is awesome. The body is fresh and snappy; there is an adrenaline rush at the start. It’s easy to overcook it on Day 1. Then there is me at the ACC on day 2. […]
Hey all, I’ve got my Apple products packed. I am on my way to San Francisco for the 2013 ACC meeting. I’ll be going as both a cardiologist and journalist/blogger for theHeart.org. Look for a daily column over at Trials and Fibrillations on THO. I’ll also be tweeting like crazy on the ACC hashtag — […]
Before beginning to read, please know that what follows is just a long-winded introduction to a post that featured me as an expert. You can can scroll down to the link if you wish. — This is that time of year. It’s a nice time. Longer days, warmer temps and big doses of hope power […]
There I was sitting at the computer in between ablation cases. It was a normal Thursday. I was thinking about my next column over at theHeart.org. A nurse from the catheterization lab came in and told me that Dr. Dillon was giving a press conference. He was announcing three major initiatives for heart attack care […]